The US diplomat, former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Robert Bradtke expressed Washington’s concerns over government crackdowns on civil society – especially human rights defenders, NGOs and independent media- in the OSCE area, including Azerbaijan.

During the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, head of US delegation Robert Bradtke said the crackdowns have intensified, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports

“Independent activists in Azerbaijan have been facing increased pressure, manifested by interrogations, detentions, legislation further restricting NGO financing, and the closure of the facility of Free Thought University, a nonpartisan forum established by young activists to develop critical analytical skills and independent thinking,” he emphasized.

Azerbaijan, he underscored, continues to prevent the foreign travel of Popular Front Party chairman Ali Kerimli by refusing to renew his passport. 

"Since 2006, the government has cited an outstanding complaint against him from 1994 as the reason for the refusal, although it had renewed Kerimli's passport without objection on several occasions in the years since the complaint was filed," he said. -25В-